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AAT Bioquest

What are the differences between "in vitro" and "in vivo"?

Posted October 29, 2020


Answer

In vitro and in vivo techniques often share a common goal, but differ in a few key areas. Looking at In Vivo, this technique typically uses a whole, living organism for experimentation, or cells isolated but live. This is useful in that it gives an overall perspective on the potential effects of certain treatments and medications in terms of the complete organism. Often more expensive and with greater regulations, in vivo is usually used in a clinical setting for trials, or animal testing.

On the other hand, in vitro testing involves isolated components that may be manipulated in the earlier stages of research. One key difference is that in vitro is in an environment not typical for the components being researched, colloquially referred to as “test-tube experiments”. This allows for ease of experimentation and a detailed analysis of constituent parts to offer insights into future direction for research. This also avoids the potential for risk to live subjects and thus incurs fewer regulations as do in vivo testing.

In VivoIn Vitro
Uses a whole, living organism for experimentationIsolated components of an organism
Gives perspective on the complete organismDetailed analysis of constituent parts
ExpensiveLess expensive
A large amount of regulationFewer regulations
A risk to live subjectsNo risk to live subjects
Later stages of experimentationEarly stages of experimentation
Additional resources

Differences between in vitro and in vivo studies

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